By Esha Roy
New Delhi, April 27 – DELHIITES who turned up at the India Habitat Centre today received a dose of quintessential Dalai Lama humour.
The Dalai Lama, who was in Delhi to release Rajiv Mehrotra’s The Mind of the Guru, said that his relationship with the Capital went back to 1956 when he had come here to celebrate Buddha Jayanti.
Speaking of Mehrotra and his book, he said:‘‘I have seen him make a lot of inner effort to progress spiritually, I don’t know how much he has achieved. When I began my search, it was due to the persuasion of my teacher. It was only much later that I actually became interested. Since then I make effort everyday, sometimes even when I am sleeping and in my dreams. But progress has been very little,’’was the first candid comment made by the Dalai Lama.
When asked what was the secret of his happiness and how the rest of us can attain it, Dalai Lama quipped: ‘‘Since its my secret, I am not going to tell anyone. It’s a good night’s sleep, that always leaves you fresh in the morning. If you have a happy dream in the night, then you are all the more happy in the morning.’’
The Dalai Lama talked at length about various Buddhist principles and the importance of the guru in each individual’s life.
‘‘The Iraq war was a very sad thing. You have to look at the more holistic picture. The crisis was horrible but the desire for peace has become so strong everywhere around the world.’’
When asked how he reconciled his spiritual and political duties, he said: ‘‘When you work with that motivation then every action you take in any sphere, whether it is religion, politics, scientific research or economics, the result will always be positive.
